Tape applying mechanism



5PL 23; 1969 w. Low-:LAND ETAL 3,468,742

TAPE APPLYING MECHANISM Filed Aug. e, 1965 2 sheets-sheet 1 Sept. 23, 1969 w. LOVELAND ETAL 3,468,742

TAPE APPLYING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m, ik

Filed Aug. 6,

United States Patent O 3,468,742 TAPE APPLYING MECHANISM Winton Loveland, Freeport, and Saul Warshaw, New York County, N .Y., assgnors to The Loveshaw Corporation, Farmingdale, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 477,788 Int. Cl. B65b 51 06' U.S. Cl. 156-468 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A closed, pressurized, gas confining chamber that provides a common gas pressure cushion for all of a plurality of mechanically separate air motors which separately manipulate and apply pressurized gaseous biasing to a plurality of separate tape-applying mechanisms. Such tapeapplying mechanisms are designed to wipe down upon walls of closed, product-housing cartons adhesive tape to hold the closing flaps thereof in their closing positions.

The invention is concerned with apparatus for applying adhesive tape to articles, such as cartons. It is directed in particular to an assembly of wipe down rolls for smoothing out the tape and pressing it into firm engagement with the carton, and operating mechanism therefor.

More specifically it embodies novel mechanism for applying yielding pressure to the arms carrying the wipe down rolls and associated mechanism for positioning the arms and urging the rolls into appropriate relation to the carton with an ideal pressure which assures elimination of any tendency to damage relatively long cartons. The arrangement is marked by its exceptional effectiveness and unusual rapidty of response. The present invention is an improvement upon that covered by our copending application Ser. No. 139,676 of Sept. 21, 1961, for Tape Applying Mechanism, now Patent No. 3,236,716 of Feb. 22, 1966.

An object of the present invention is to provide in the operating mechanism of such device gas pressure cushioning means which will effectively prevent excessive pressures being applied to the means for biasing the tape wipe down rolls toward carton surfaces which may tend to crush areas of the latter.

Another object of this invention is to provide such gas pressure cushioning means that will respond in an unusually rapid manner to control efiiciently the applied pressure within safe, carton-nondamaging limits while permitting high speed handling of a series of cartons by a carton iiap-closing machine equipped with such tape applying mechanism.

Prior to the present invention it was found that if such tape-applying mechanism was operated by air cylinders or motors to bias a plurality of sets of tape wipe down rollers toward surfaces of relatively long cartons which brought many of these sets into tape applying operation at the same time the applied pressure would increase greatly to tend to damage the cartons. For example, if such tape wipe down rollers are provided in four sets with each set consisting of a pair of such rollers, as is proposed in our above-identified patent application Ser. No. 139,676 (now Patent No. 3,236,716), and the equipment is arranged to apply a pressure of about thirty pounds per square inch (30 lbs/sq. in.) the passage of an excessively long carton through the machine could cause all four sets of the Wipe down rollers to be rolling tape onto carton surfaces at the same time. Under such conditions it was found that the applied pressure could tend to increase to a greatly excessive value of about seventy pounds per square inch ICC (70 lbs/sq. in.) that would frequently cause the tape wiping arms and their wipe down rollers to crush such a carton. While it was determined that the elevated pressure could be reduced by a mechanical device, such as a bleed valve in the pressurized air supply line, it was found that the relatively slow response of such pressure reducing mechanical device demanded after the tape was applied to one long carton an intolerably long time for the pressure to be built back up to the original intended value for effectively operating on the next successive carton. These problems are solved very eiiiciently by the simple and unique innovation of the present invention.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a carton hadling machine equipped with tape applying mechanism which may embody features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a pair of wipe down rolls shown in the upper left portion of FIG. 3 but with the arms carrying the rolls expanded into wide open positions; and

FIG. 3 is a view in elevation of the mechanism for applying the top tape to a carton with the front plate removed to show more clearly the wipe down rolls and the supporting and operating mechanism therefor, and the mechanism for applying the bottom tape thereto which is associated with the top tape applying mechanism by the present improvement.

Referring to the more general features of the machine as shown in the drawings, in which like numerals identify similar parts throughout, it embodies a base section 5 comprising particularly a pair of transversely-spaced side plates 6 to which are secured a pair of transversely-spaced vertical stanchions 7, that are preferably provided with opposed channels, and on which is mounted the upper tape applying means indicated generally at 8 in FIG. 1. The tape applying unit S will normally be made vertically adinstable on the stanchions 7. The drawings disclose one form of a suitable means for the purpose in which the unit 8 is mounted on transverse bars 9 mounted in elevator plates 10 vertically slidable in the channels of the stanchions 7. A chain 11 has its ends secured to one of the elevator plates 10, as is indicated at 12 and 13, and is lapped at the top over sprocket 14 secured on a cross shaft 15, and around a similar sprocket at the bottom, a pair of such elevating chain arrangements preferably being provided. The plates 10 and thereby the unit 8, are vertically adjusted through rotation of a handwheel 16 mounted on a transverse shaft 17 which carries a worm 18 meshing with a worm wheel secured on cross shaft 15. The machine will also embody other details which form no part of the present invention and details thereof are omitted in the interest of clarity.

The machine includes appropriate means for advancing therethrough successively articles such as a series of rectangular cartons indicated at C in the drawings. Such carton feeding means may comprise a conventional chain conveyor 19 trained about sprocket means 20 and 21 mounted between the pair of side plates 6. The chain conveyor 19 includes a series of longitudinally-spaced transverse bars or ights 22 each adapted to engage behind one of the cartons C and advance it.

Suitable feed and discharge conveyor means may be provided at each end of the tape applying machine, such as the series of feed rollers indicated at 23 in FIG. 1 for directing the cartons onto the carton advancing conveyor 19 of the machine, and a similar type of roller conveyor indicated at 24 for receiving the taped cartons. Machines of this type commonly embody various other features such as means for folding down and holding the carton flaps preliminary to engaging the tape and tape applying mechanism, and the present improvement may be embodied to advantage in the machine of our copending patent application Ser. No. 219,212 of Aug. 24, 1962, for Automatic Carton Closing Machine, on which issued patent No. 3,236,022 of Feb. 22, 1966 that was reissued on Aug. 13, 1968 as Reissue Patent No. Re. 26,440.

The present machine is designed to apply tapes to the leading and trailing ends and both the upper and lower surfaces of each carton C, the tape supply roll for the upper tape applying means being indicated at 25 in FIG. 1 from which is drawn a strip 26 of the gummed tape. Similar tape supply means are mounted in the machine base for supplying tape to the bottom of the carton. The tape most commonly is of the type coated with a dried adhesive, and the mechanism accordingly will include means for applying moisture to the surface of the adhesive and also devices for cutting orti the tape at appropriate points (not shown). Such means and devices are Well-known in the prior art and the present disclosure will not be encumbered with details thereof.

Referring now to the detailed construction of the tape applying means comprising an embodiment of the present invention, the description will be directed particularly to the mechanism for applying the tape to the upper side of the carton but it will be seen that a similar mechanism is positioned below the path of the carton and is constructed a and operates similarly to the top tape applying means. The upper tape applying mechanism is mounted between a pair of transversely-spaced supporting plates 30 and 31 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the plate 30 being removed in FIG. 3 to disclose more clearly the operating elements. In the present embodiment there are two pairs of top tape wipe down arms 32, 33 and 34, 35 respectively each carrying at its outer end a tape engaging member comprising a roll 36, as is shown particularly in FIG. 2. Each roll 36 is composed of suitable resilient material, such as rubber, and is rotatable on a sleeve 37 secured between a pair of spaced bosses 38 and 39 by means of screws 40 threaded into the ends of the sleeve. The parts 38 and 39 of arm 33 are connected together to form a unit as by the web 41 indicated in FIG. 2. The -mating arm 32 is similarly constructed.

The arms 32 and 33 are suitably supported on a common axis between the two plates 30 and 31, the mounting means in the present case comprising a central cross shaft 42 extending between these two plates and secured therein by bolts 43 screw-threaded into the opposite ends of this cross shaft which is held stationary thereby. As will be seen in FIG. 2 the arm 32 includes an enlarged boss 45 supported on shaft 42 through the intermediary of a suitable bearing, such as a ball bearing, and the other side of this arm also has a thinner boss 46 likewise supported on the shaft 42 through the intermediary of a ball bearing. Secured to the boss and rotatable therewith is a sprocket 47 which is so held by suitable fixing means, such as a screw extending through the sprocket and engaged in a hole in this boss.

The arm 33 is similarly constructed and the two arms are symmetrically related, i.e., arm 33 has an enlarged boss 50 and a thinner boss 51 rotatably mounted on the shaft 42, and secured to boss 50 is a sprocket 52 similar to sprocket 47. The two arms 32 and 33 are independently rotatable on the shaft 42. The larger bosses 4S and 50 are oset inwardly in each case to accommodate the smaller bosses 51 and 46 respectively, as shown in FIG. 2, whereby the rolls 36 operate in the same path. The pair 4- of arms 34, 35 are substantially the same in construction and relation as the pair of arms 32, 33.

The operating unit for swinging each pair of arms 32, 33 and 34, 35 on their pivots will now be described. With respect to the pair of pivoted arms 32, 33 there is mounted between the plates 30, 31 a pivoted bracket or bell crank 55 shown in side elevation in FIG. 3. The bell crank v55 is adapted to swing on pivot pin 56 secured between the plates 30, 31 by screw studs extending through the plates into the ends of this pin. One arm 57 of bell crank S5 extends laterally from its support pivot pin 56, ,and a pair of sprockets 58 and 59 are rotatably mounted thereon by a fixed pin 60, these sprockets being made integral with each other or otherwise joined to rotate together. Power means is provided to swing the operating unit embodying the bell crank 55 on its pivot pin 56 as will shortly be described. 'Ihe sprockets 58 and 59 have a special flexible drive connection with sprockets 47 and 52 respectively. Secured to sprocket 58 at some suitable point along its periphery, such as at 61, is a chain 62 which extends around the sprocket from point 61 in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3 and continues down around sprocket 47 in a similar counterclockwise direction to be pinned thereto at an appropriate point, such as is indicated at 63. Similarly, but in a reverse direction, a chain 64 has one end pinned to sprocket 59 at a point, such as is indicated at 65, and extends therefrom around this sprocket in a clockwise direction and down and around sprocket 52 in a clockwise direction to be pinned to the latter as at 66. As a result of this arrangement swinging bell crank `55 about its pivot pin 56 in a clockwise direction serves to swing the arms 32 and 33 into a closed scissor relation until the latter abuts a stop 67, such as is indicated in FIG. 3.

It is necessary that the scissor arms 32 and 33 not only be urged together in a closed scissor position but also that they normally be caused to move to an appropriate position for eifective operative engagement by the advancing carton. Various means may be employed for this purpose but the present arrangement enables that function to be accomplished without added elements. Basically this is eifected by making the radius or effective lever armof one of the sprockets of a pair diierent from that of the other sprocket of that pair. In the present embodimentthe sprocket 58 is made smaller than the sprocket 59 which causes application of greater torque on arm 32 than that applied to the opposed arm 33 when bell crank 55 assocatedtherewith is swung clockwise. As a consequence, the two arms 32 and 33 swing together in a clockwise direction until they meet an obstructionsuch as a limiting stop indicated at 67. Consequently, when the two arms 32 and 33 are free of an oncoming carton the arm 32 overpowers the opposing arm 33 and the two arms swing together in a clockwise direction until the latter arm meets the stop 67.

The operation of the arms 34 and 35 is the same as that of the arms 32 and 33 except that the bell crank 55 associated with the former pair of arms is urged by the power operating means in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot.

In the preferred form shown two pairs of scissor arms 32, 33 and 34, 35 are employed which, however, function in the same manner. The present system conveniently and economically employs a common source of power which is effective with equal force on the two units. The power means is of an impositive type adapted to apply an elastic pressure on the operating units or bell cranks 55 and through the operating connections to the respective wipe down arms. The power means in the illustrated tape wipe down mechanism comprises a iiuid pressure piston and cylinder arrangement or pressurized air motor 70 suspended in a oating position between the two units, which may comprise a cylinder having an end bracket 71 rigid therewith to which is pivoted at 72 the other arm 73 of the bell crank 55 associated with scissor arms 34 and 35. Similarly piston rod 74 is threaded into a connector element or eye 75 pivoted at 76 to the arm 73 of the bell crank 55 associated with the scissor arms 32 and 33. The cylinder of pressurized air motor 70 is connected to a suitable source of pressure uid by suitable means such as a flexible conduit 80, as is indicated in FIG. 3. The supply line leading to conduit 80 will include suitable control means such as an adjustable pressure regulator adapted to be manually set for the desired pressure.

The character of the cartons or like articles to which the tape is to be applied by the illustrated tape applying mechanism of the complete machine may require wipe down rolls located below the path of the bottom surface and adapted to apply a bottom tape. Such lower wipe down rolls and associated mechanism may be identical with the upper tape applying and operating means therefor described above except reversed as to position. In this respect FIG. 3 shows two pairs of wipe down arms 132, 133 and 134, 135 corresponding to the upper pairs of arms 32, 33 and 34, 35 respectively, suitably pivotally supported in the machine frame, such as by cross shafts 142 xedly mounted between horizontal side plates 6 (see FIG. l). A pair of similar bell cranks 155 are provided in the operating means, each pivotally supported by a xed pin 156 carried by the horizontal machine frame, and these are associated in like manner with the two pairs of wipe down arms 132, 133 and 134, 135 by like pull chains 62 and 64 lapped about sprockets 58 and 59 and about the arm-carried sprockets 47 and 52. Also, in like manner the operating means includes a pressurized air motor 170 of a construction similar to that shown at 70, with its cylinder having fixed bracket 171 pivotally connected at 172 to arm 173 of one of the lower bell cranks 155 and its piston rod 174 connected by eye 175 at 176 to the arm 73 of the other lower bell crank 155. The cylinder of pressurized air motor 170 is likewise connected to a suitable source of pressure uid by suitable means, such as flexible conduit 81, as is indicated in FIG. 3, and the supply line will likewise include suitable c011- trol means, such as an adjustable pressure regulator. For this purpose, and in order to simplify the equipment required, both of the pressurized air motors 70 and 170 have their supply lines 80 and 81 connected to the same pressurized air supply, such as by conduit 82 to which 'conduits 80 and 81 are connected as branches for parallel connections of these pressurized air motors. This permits the employment of a single adjustable pressure regulator R at 83.

A brief resume of the action of the pairs of wipe down arms 32, 33; 34, 35; 132, 133 and 134, 135, more fully detailed in our above-identified copending application Ser. No. 139,676, (now Patent No. 3,236,716 of Feb. 22, 1966), may here emphasize the importance of the improvement of the present invention. Let it be assumed that one of the cartons C which is fed forward by the conveyor 19 between these sets of upper and lower tape wipe down arms is of such a length as to require manipulative spreading of the two pairs of upper and lower arms 34, 35 and 134, 135 while the preceding pairs 32, 33 and 132, 133 are subjected to spreading action by rolling contacts of their rolls 36 over succeeding top and bottom, as well as the trailing end, surfaces, of the carton. For example, as the appreciably long carton C is carried forward by the machine conveyor 19 the vertical face of its leading end engages the depending end of the tape 26 fed from the upper supply roll 25, and the upwardly extending end of a similar tape supplied from a supply from a supply reel below is likewise engaged by this leading end of the carton. The depending end of the top tape is pressed against the leading end of the oncoming carton by roller 36 of arm 32 and with further advance of the carton the latter arm is caused to pivot or swing counterclockwise as its roller 36 progressively wipes down along the tape to snug it to the carton leading end. While this is occurring the roller 36 of the companion arm 33 progressively wipes back along the carton top firmly to lay the top tape therealong. As a result, the scissor arms 32 and 33 progressively swing apart thereby causing bell crank 55 associated therewith to swing counterclockwise effecting inward thrust of the piston rod 74 to apply increasing pressure against the elastic cushion provided by the pressurized air in the cylinder of the air motor 70. The same action takes place with respect to the bottom tape and the bottom pair of scissor arms 132 and 133, the top arm 132 swinging progressively clockwise to carry its roll 36 up along the bottom tape and snug it against the oncoming leading end of the carton while arm 133 progressively Wipes its roller 36 back along this bottom tape back `and the carton bottom. Thus the same progressive spreading of the arms 132 and 133 is caused, to swing the bell crank 155 associated therewith counterclockwise with attendant inward thrust upon the piston rod 174 against the air cushion in the cylinder of air motor 17'0.

Eventually with further advance of the carton leading end the arms 32 and 132 reach the limits of their inward travel across the carton leading end and their rolls 36 will then begin to wipe outwardly along the tape until they are freed beyond the top and bottom edges of this carton leading end. Thereafter rolls 36 of arms 32 and 132 travel back along the tapes laid down on the carton top panel and its bottom panel so that the pairs of scissor arms 32, 33 and 132, 133 are spread open wide as in FIG. 2.

Continued advance of the carton causes the rolls 36 of the arms 33 and 133 to ride over the top and bottom corners of the trailing carton end to Wipe the strips of top and bottom tapes back against the surface of this trailing end. Eventually the rolls 36 of the scissor arms 32 and 132 which have been riding back along the top and bottom tapes previously laid down over the carton top and bottom panels by arms 33 and 133 will be freed at the top and bottom corners of the carton trailing end, so that these arms will then respectively swing clockwise and counterclockwise toward their companion arms 33 and 133.

With larger cartons where the length between the leading ends and trailing ends thereof is greater the leading end of each carton will move forward to engage roll 36 of arm 34 and the same action described above with respect to arms 32 and 33 will occur as to arms 34 and 35. This is likewise true With respect to the pair of arms 134, 135 relative to the pair of arms 132, 133. Thus the tape wiping action of all four pairs of arms 32, 33; 132, 133; 34, 35 and 134, 135 may occur at the same time with attendant spreading of the arms of these pairs cumulatively to increase the pressure applied to the air cushions in the cylinders of the air motors 70 and 170. As a result, and by way of example, if the walls of such cartons are of a strength to avoid damage by pressures of the rolls thereagainst of the order of thirty pounds per square inch (30 lbs/sq. in.) as a predetermined safe load the simultaneous scissoring actions of the four pair of arms can increase the contact pressure greatly, such as to about seventy pounds per square inch (70 lbs/sq. in.), to cause the carton walls to be crushed. This is avoided by the feature of improvement shown in FIG. 3.

This improvement consists of commonly connecting the plurality of pressurized gas responsive devices or air motors to a gas pressure cushioning device, such as by connecting the latter to the common gas supply line 82. For this purpose, a closed tank 84 may be provided having its interior chamber connected by a conduit to the common supply conduit 82, at a point beyond or forward of the common regulator 83. Conduit 85, which communicates the chamber of tank 84 with the air supply conduit 82 may, if desired, be equipped with a pet cock or adjustable valve 86. As a result, when the valve 86 is open, the interior chamber of the gas pressure cushioning tank 84 is in direct communication with the chambers of the cylinders of the pressurized air motors 70 and 170 by way of interconnected branch conduits 80 and 81 and the portion of supply conduit 82 interventing their common junction and the conduit 85. The interconnected branch conduits 80 and 81 constitute together a cross conduit which connects the piston-equipped air motors or cylinders 70 and 170 together, with the gas pressure cushion provided by the pressurized gas in the chamber of the closed tank 84 being connected to this cross conduit by the terminal portion of supply conduit 82 beyond the connection of the conduit 85 thereto and also by the latter. Accordingly, when the scissoring actions of the plurality of sets or pairs of scissoring arms 32, 33; 34, 35; 132, 133 `and 134, 135 tends to cause appreciable increases in the pressures in the chambers of the air motors 7i) and 170, such pressure increases are reflected back into the chamber of gas pressure cushioning tank 84 appreciably to reduce the tendency of pressure increases in the air motor cylinders, thereby maintaining the applied pressures of the rolls 36 reected through the mechanical operating means of the scissors arms within safe limits relative to the strengths of the carton Walls.

The interconnections of the plurality of means which are responsive to pressurized gas, such as the air cylinders or motors 70 and 170, to apply the desired biasing force to the plurality of tape wiping means during tape wiping action thereof may be attained in a number of ways other than that illustrated in FIG. 3. For example, there may be employed separate ow lines to connect the cylinders of the air motors 70 and 170 directly to such gas pressure cushioning tank, viz., that at 84, with the latter having no direct connection to the pressurized gas source and connected solely thereto through the connections to the air motor cylinders and back through the latter to the common source.

This improvement of the present invention not only attains the desired end in minimizing pressure increases within safe limits relative to the carton walls, but also avoids a problem attendant upon bleeding of some of the pressurized gaseous medium or air when the pressure dangerously rises, so as to avoid the damaging excessive pressures. This problem involves the excessive amount of time there following which is necessary to building the pressure existing at the time the carton is freed from this tape wipe down equipment back up to the desired value by the time the next successive carton arrives at this tape applying equipment. The gas pressure cushioning means of the present invention is automatically and rapidly responsive in accommodating changing conditions and effectively eliminating therefrom the danger factor.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are eiciently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction Without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described our invention, what wel claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a gummed tape applying device in which are provided a plurality of tape wiping means to ride over strips of such tape for pressing it firmly against package or carton walls in :response to biasing action imposed by confined gas under elevated pressure, the combination therewith of a plurality of mechanically separated means responsive to pressurized gas to apply such ybiasing force separately to the plurality of tape wiping means during tape wiping action thereof, a common source of pressurized gas, flow conducting means interconnecting said plurality of responsive means and all of the' latter to said common source of pressurized gas, and a closed pressurized gas confining chamber commonly connected to all of said plurality of responsive means and providing a gas pressure cushion for balanced and minimally increased pressures in all of the latter.

2. The gummed tape applying device defined in claim 1 in which said plurality of responsive means are in the form of piston-equipped air cylinders.

3. The gummed tape applying device dened inrclairn 2 in which a cross conduit connects said cylinders together, with said gas pressure cushion connected to said cross conduit.

4. The gummed tape applying device defined in claim 3 in which another conduit serves as Va supply conduit and connects said common source of pressurized gas directly to said cross conduit, with said gas pressure cushion connected to said supply conduit.'

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,449,642 3/ 1923 Warenskjold et al. 2,809,665 10/ 1957 Crowe 138-30 2,829,669 4/ 1958 Luzynski.

EARL M. BERGERT, Primary Examiner i H. F. EPST EIN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 156-489 ???g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION Patent No. 3,468, 742 Dated September 23, 1969 Inventors) Winton Loveland and Saul Warshaw It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that' Said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

r- Column 1, line 35, for "rapidty" read rapidity;

column 2, line 24, for "hadling" re'ad hand1ing; column 3, line 74, Ifor "as shown" read --as is shownn; column 5, line 32 for "173" read 73; columnS, line 61, for "surfaces, of" read --surfaces of-; column 5, lines 66 and 67, for "from a supply from a supply reel" read from a supply reel; column 7, line 2, for "nterventng" read intervening; column 7, line 20, for "scissors" read scisso.r;

Add to references cited:

2, 787,396 4-2-57 Christensson 156-486XR 891, 747 6-23-08 Szlubis 156-489 848,091 9-14-60 Great Britain 156-468 (4 shts. dwg. 7 pp. spec.) Head et al.

SIGNED A'N'D SEALED MAY 191970 (Slm .LM

Mun-dnl:- L Ammin; Omaa- WI'I-LIAI I. am, m.

Dominican ot Pang 

